Rouge (Rouge #1) by Isabella Modra (Review)

*I received a free e-book copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

“She might be able to walk through fire and use her power as a weapon against villains that might challenge her, but in the end she would always be put on a pedestal and either celebrated and worshipped of mocked for her mistakes.”Rouge begins in the past, giving us a nice and concise narrative of the past so it avoids the dreaded ‘info-dump’. It tells of how Hunter’s parents died and how she inherited the ability to control fire. The fire within her reacts to her emotions, and Hunter finds this difficult to control, especially when with her boyfriend Eli, or arguing with her over-protective guardian, Joshua. When Hunter has a choice to be a hero or walk away, she choose to put aside her fears and use her powers for good, but it sets off a tidal wave of difficult decisions.

I liked the plot, and I really liked seeing Hunter grow into her powers. It lost me a little in the middle, which is why this didn’t gain a 4 star from me, but picked up quickly towards the end with a real action packed finale with a few shock twists that leaves you eager for the next (which I will be picking up very soon, thanks to the author who also gifted me with the second e-book). Also, at times it’s a bit cheesy, but not overwhelmingly so, so I didn’t bother me too much. For Isabella Modra’s first novel, this is a promising piece of work.

I also liked the characters, particularly Hunter. Whilst at times she was a bit of a brat, generally I thought she was a fierce and strong female lead. I also like Eli as well because he was such a sweet and well rounded character. I would have preferred a bit more of a development between the two of them before they dated, because it was a little ‘insta-love’, but I still enjoyed their relationship.

Overall, a generally good and well-written urban fantasy/paranormal and I think fans of those genre’s will enjoy.